TechWhirl Sponsors

About TechWhirl

TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.

For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.

I know you can set many mail and IM programs to pop up on top when something
comes in, but I have found that they tend to do that at the most inopportune
time, such as in the middle of a password when logging in, as I am in deep
thought in rewriting a sentence, or trying to move a chunk of text. As such,
10 to 20 letters get typed into this new window on top rather than the one I
was working in.

Of course, the window popping open also hits the reset button on my brain,
so those sentences I was trying to rewrite are instantly forgotten in the
distraction, and now lost forever, leaving me this hanging mess I have no
idea how to complete.

So in my case, having it pop open, highlight, ding, or whatever on the side
and not over my work is a lifesaver.

I'm not picking on you or stalking you. You just seem to be hitting the
topics I want to reply to right now.